1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to processes and equipment for communications between service providers and their remote equipment units, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to improving the efficiency of information exchange between the service providers and their remote equipment units.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is common for a business to have equipment units placed at remote locations. For example a semiconductor equipment company may place various manufacturing plants worldwide at remote locations. Generally, the remote equipment units (e.g., the manufacturing plants) are chosen by semiconductor company at locations which are physically situated close to the actual customer sites (e.g., users of semiconductor chips). The remote equipment units are generally monitored by sensors and other monitoring equipment including audio alarms and LED displays. If the remote equipment unit fails or is otherwise in need of repair, the sensors and other monitoring equipment indicate an alarm condition. Monitoring personnel notice the alarm condition and then contact a repair person by phone or other means (e.g., computer, pager, etc.). The repair person then visits the remote location to place the customers back in service.
Unfortunately, this process consumes a considerable amount of time. In particular, there is an undesirable down-time before the monitoring personnel notice the alarm condition and contact the repair person. The dollar cost increases drastically when the manufacturing plants are down for an extended period of time and the production has been stopped.
A different problem arises when the monitoring personnel are not available at the remote locations to watch for alarm conditions and to contact the repair person, e.g., during off-duty hours. In this case, the down-time is further exacerbated by the fact that the alarm conditions may go unnoticed for long periods of time.
Indeed, delays in contacting the repair person and in repairing the remote equipment units may be quite costly, especially when the business is handling crucial equipment. In a semiconductor industry, the manufacturing of chips may consist of several pieces of fabrication equipment and the down-time associated with any of the fabrication equipment can cause shut down of actual production.
One approach to these problems is to have the repair person be available at the remote location, but this strategy often adversely impacts the cost of the business. Additionally, more than one repair person (i.e., each having a different expertise) may be required for each type of equipment, thereby making it nearly impossible to have all required expertise available at the remote location.
Thus, there remains a need for a system and method for coordinating the prompt and efficient exchange of alarm and other information between service providers and their remote equipment units.